


Castle of Glass

by Brittsis



Series: Just A Myth One-Shots [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Gen, Pre-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-02
Updated: 2013-11-02
Packaged: 2017-12-31 06:23:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1028299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brittsis/pseuds/Brittsis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex Shepard hears about her father's death and doesn't take it well. One-Shot for Just A Myth, pregame.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Castle of Glass

Alex would be turning thirteen in just a few days. Her father had promised that he’d be home in time. Just on final mission before he took the shuttle for his leave. They were going to head into the mountains and live for a whole week off only items they could carry. He promised to teach her everything she would need to survive in the wilderness. It would be one of the rare father and daughter outings she treasured. 

She was at the house they kept planet side. Her mother had been stationed here for a few months as she taught an officer class on base. Home alone she was counting the days as she packed and repacked her gear over and over. She read books and watched vids, hoping to surprise her father. Excitement pumped through her as she practically danced through the rooms. Then the door bell rang and everything shattered.

Hannah had instructed her not to open the door to strangers, especially when she was home alone. Her teeth worried her lip as the bell rang again. She was almost thirteen and could handle anyone at the door but her mother’s warnings still lingered in her mind. Cautiously, Alex tiptoed to the door and peeked out the door. Two men stood there in full dress uniform. She recognized it easily, having seen her father wearing it. 

One had noticed her and offered a sad smile. Her gut clenched as she undid the locks and opened the door a crack. “Hello?”

One of the officers knelt down, taking his cap off as he did so. “Are you Alex Clarissa Shepard, daughter of Major Daniel Logan Shepard?”

A lumped formed in her throat as a trickle of recognition formed in her mind. Finding it hard to speak, Alex nodded.

“Is your mother around?”

She shook her head and took a step back, not wanting to know more. 

“Where is she?”

“She… she’s at the school.” Alex forced herself to speak. “It’s almost lunch time, she comes home…”

“Alex Shepard, what did I say about opening the door?” Hannah Shepard yelled as she ran down the sidewalk. 

The man stood, offering a salute before relaxing. “Commander Hannah Shepard?”

“Yes.”

“Ma’am, do you have family or someone that you could call?”

Hannah shook her head, pulling Alex close. “No, there’s only me and my husband but he’s…. No… but I…”

She was lost for words as her worry for her daughter faded and observation kicked in. The man nodded, “I am sorry but Major Daniel Logan Shepard has been declared killed in actions. As of…”

The rest faded away. Years later, Alex would wish she had paid more attention. She would wish that she had listened about her father’s last moment. But at the tender age of twelve, all she could do was block it out. Her father wasn’t dead. He was getting on a transport tomorrow and coming home. 

Alex pulled from her mother’s grip and walked calmly away. She could hear her mother calling for her but Alex ignored her. Anger and grief mixed her in as feet carried her away. At first she walked, and then she jogged. She reached her room and shook with the emotions inside her. Without thinking, Alex grabbed her bag and ran out of the back of the house. She jumped onto the two speed her father bought her and pedaled as hard as her legs would go. 

\---------------------------

Their house was located near one of the few reservations remaining in North America. There were hundreds of acres of wooded land only a few miles away. She had ridden her bike all the way there then hiked through the trees, leaving the path behind. Her mind was blank and her heart ached as she weaved through the bush. It didn’t take long but Alex had hidden away in those woods as she hid away from the grief that threatened to break her.

Alex didn’t speak a word as she set up her shelter or built her fire. She didn’t allow a single thought but for those lessons she anxiously devoured over the last week. For three days she’d huddled in her tent, eyes staring at the flames as she munched on protein bars and sipped from her canteen. She’d heard her name a few times but refused to respond. Her father would find her, he promised.

Her food and water dwindled as days became a week. Alex knew she should find more but couldn’t muster the energy. She added the last of her wood and laid down on her sleeping bag. A shiver ran through her body and her stomach gurgled but she ignored it. 

\----------------------

Steven Hackett had requested leave as soon as he heard. He caught the first transport out and made it back to Earth in record time. Hannah was a mess, her husband dead and daughter missing. He joined the search and found himself torn between Hannah’s grief and the urgency to find Alex. He refused to rest and only paused when forced to consume a ration bar. They’d combed the woods shouting for the girls name and a week later still hadn’t spotted her. 

“Steven, see that?” His partner, a lieutenant from the local officer’s school, called out and pointed to the smoke just barely rising over the tree line.  
“Yes,” He answered as hope flashed through him. He took off at a run, dodging branches and skipping through the undergrowth. 

Hackett found her curled by the smoking fire. She wasn’t moving and his heart stopped. He shouted for his partner to get help and ran over to her. His hand shook as he opened his canteen and lifted her head so she could get a drink. “Come one sweetheart, open those beautiful eyes for me.”

She swallowed the water slowly at first then gulped it. He had to pull it away before she made herself sick. Alex moaned as her fingers gripped his cloths. “Daddy?”

His heart dropped as grief washed over him. “No, I’m so sorry.”

Alex opened her eyes and stared at him as he pulled her close. She wanted to pull away but she was too weak to fight him. Instead, she held on tight as her body shook. Tears wouldn’t come, her body too dehydrated to produce the tears. Her father was gone, dead, and Alex couldn’t cry for him.


End file.
